Google Home adds hands-free calling, more entertainment and visual responses

Google announced that hands-free calling is coming to Google Home, along with more entertainment options and the ability to send "visual responses" to connected devices.

In the coming months, Google Home owners will be able to use the Google Assistant to call anyone in the US or Canada at no additional charge. You can call from a private number, or connect it to your currently existing mobile number. Like the rest of Google Home, the calling feature supports multiple users, so you can say "Call Mom" without identifying who exactly your mom is.

Google Home's foremost competitor, Amazon Echo, announced that it would support calling and messaging just last week, so competition between the devices remains stiff in this area.

Visual response, bringing the calendar to Chromecast

Google Home will also start to interface better with other devices, such as phones and Chromecast, through a new feature called visual responses. If you request driving directions through Google Home, for example, the Assistant will send the route to your phone. If you're using Chromecast on your TV, you can have Google Home broadcast your calendar or search results to the big screen.

Lastly, Google also announced that support for HBO Now and Spotify's free service is coming to Google Home, expanding the currently limited batch of Home-supported entertainment options.